it's a crazy world, but at the end of the day, you're still my family
by cmartlover
Summary: Ficathon prompt 23: Amy and Rory spend time with the Doctor and River not long after the Doctor comes back from pretending to be dead and find it weird seeing just how married the two are.


**Author's Note: Here's my take on this prompt. Hope you enjoy it:)**

* * *

If she had to pinpoint a single incident where she began to notice the changes, Amy supposes it would be the Doctor's second visit after proclaiming himself 'back from the dead' on Christmas.

She's prepping the table like a good hostess, with Rory lingering behind her holding the turkey they'd put in an hour before.

The Doctor, of course, paces back and forth around the kitchen, trying to assist but actually being more of a nuisance than anything else. Bless. As much as she and Rory appreciate the thought, they are starting to feel like exasperated parents too often a time.

Speaking of parenthood, Amy finds herself glancing down at her mobile, scouring it for a text from her daughter. Rory glances over her shoulder, a puzzled expression on his face.

"No word from River, then?" he asks, perplexed.

"Not yet. But I talked to her the other day. I'm pretty sure she's comin'. She's not one to get the timing wrong unlike somebody—"

The words barely leave her mouth before the Doctor interrupts, eyes suddenly wide.

"H-Hang on. D-did you say _River_?" Scratching his cheek, he looks oddly nervous and flustered.

"Yes, _River_, ya numpty. It's a _family_ get-together, remember?" Amy raises a brow, shaking her head. "What's the face for? Are you two not on good terms right now, or something—because, no offense, but Rory and I don't really want to be in the middle of it—"

"No, no; nothing like that, Pond. I just—I—Can I use your loo?"

"Um…yeah? Why—" When she looks back at up, he's already gone.

"What's up with him?" Rory mutters, grumbling. "Weird."

"Yeah."

Almost as if on cue, a crackle of light radiates through the room to reveal a slightly frazzled River Song.

"Oh, hello, Mum, Dad. I'm not late am I? You said 7, yeah?"

"Yeah." Grinning, Amy pulls her daughter into a tight hug, before stepping back and watching Rory do the same, albeit a bit more awkwardly.

"Lovely to see you, River." He mumbles, nodding.

"And you, Dad. Mum." River musters a smile, which falters the moment she scans the kitchen. Her lips part in confusion, and she's about to speak, until Amy steals the words from her mouth.

"He asked to use the loo."

"Ah. Of course." Amy watches as River bites back a grin, her cheeks flushing. River's eyes sparkle, and she's suddenly got the most besotted expression on her face.

"River?"

"He's primping."

"What?"

Amy side eyes Rory, who appears to be growing more and more uncomfortable.

"Oh, don't worry, Dad. Not like _that_. He knows it's not a private occasion. He's just slicking his hair, straightening his bowtie, making the last minute adjustments. Speaking of which, how do I look? I swear this manipulator does things to my hair."

She shrugs, sifting a hand through her curls, tongue jutting out the side of her mouth as she concentrates. Her hand tugs at the front of her dress, adjusting it so that it hangs just a bit lower—

"It's always like that." They all turn to see the Doctor grinning smugly in the doorway, with newly wetted hair and a bouquet of roses, his gaze fixed on River as if she's the only person in the room.

"Hello Sweetie."

"Hello dear."

Amy and Rory stand awkwardly to the side, all but forgotten by the Doctor, who is currently sidling up to River like some kind of over-zealous peacock preening for his mate.

"These are for you, honey." He beams, handing her the flowers, and glowing from ear to ear as she smiles back and quickly pulls him in for a kiss. The Doctor, to his credit, hardly fidgets, his hand finding her waist in seconds.

It's not long before River breaks it off, leaving her husband in a daze, his lips still parted. Their eyes bore into each other with such an unspoken intensity that Amy can only wonder how this exchange might have gone if she and Rory weren't in the room. The very thought makes her queasy.

"Parents here, my love."

River's voice snaps the Doctor out of his revelry, and he immediately detaches his arm from his wife, blushing profusely as he concentrates on a random spot on the kitchen floor.

"So…anyone for turkey?" Ignoring the elephant in the room, Amy motions to the table, before turning to her husband, whose pale face only reminds her of the sight she'd witnessed a moment ago. He stares at her like a frightened puppy, clearly just as put out as she is.

Because seeing her former imaginary friend and older-than-her adult daughter being a properly married couple totally isn't weird at all. Nope. Just a normal family gathering.

* * *

The next time, they're stuck in a cabinet war-room on Malta V, trying desperately to prevent the army of spaceships surrounding the planet from incinerating it. And to think this was supposed to be a "relaxing holiday". Amy supposes she should have known better than to trust her son-in-law's judgment. The Doctor is practically a magnet for trouble and her daughter may well be the manifestation of trouble itself, so no surprise there.

Glancing over to Rory, Amy notes his agitated expression as he quietly analyzes the plans River and the Doctor have laid out on the table. Thank God somebody is actually being productive, unlike her daughter and son-in-law, who haven't stopped bickering since they arrived here.

Amy watches as the Doctor gestures emphatically, glowering down at River, who simply rolls her eyes at him. Their faces are so contorted and their mouths are moving so quickly that the sight might be amusing in other circumstances. Right now, however, it's sure to give Amy a hernia if it doesn't end soon.

"Sweetie, I'm just saying! It could be an effective way to ensure the safety of everyone on this planet. We don't have time for all those considerations if we want to save as many people as we can. Just let go of that stubborn ego for five seconds and actually listen to what I'm suggesting—"

"_Stubborn ego_? Well, I'm sorry if I'm the only one of the two of us who thinks we could save more people without resorting to violence! You're always resorting to your stupid guns and weapons when you could very well just as easily put that brilliant mind of yours to good use—"

Hands on her hips, River glares at him, fire raging in her eyes.

"_Excuse me_?" she harrumphs angrily. "How many times have my 'stupid guns' saved your life and the lives of many other people? Too many to count. Let's see, there was that time with the Silence, and oh, that Dalek, which tried to kill you I might add, the Sontarans, the fish people, I could go on—But the point is, I need you to trust me on this, Sweetie. Time is short, and there's no way we're going to get through this with just sunsets and rainbows. Negotiations are lovely in theory, but they seldom ever work, and they certainly won't right now, with two races bent on annihilating each other at any given moment. Please, just—"

"Fine, fine! Go ahead with your bloody plan and just get on with it then! The mighty River Song obviously doesn't need my help to get things done."

"Sweetie—"

Amy catches the hurt shimmering in both of their eyes and knows that this whole argument could have been avoided if the Doctor and River weren't so bull-headed.

Unsurprisingly, the Doctor storms off, stomping furiously toward the door to go sulk in some pitiful corner, Amy guesses. Taking it like a man.

Her gaze goes back to her daughter, who's pleading look soon hardens into one of indifference as she steels herself over from the pain, knowing the direness of the situation.

"Okay, I guess we'll just have to do this ourselves then." River nods to Amy and Rory, a sad smile on her face.

Over the next few minutes, she scours over the plans on the table, explaining how they're going to go about saving this planet.

Rory and River discuss the practical aspects of the plan, looking so much in sync with each other that it warms Amy's heart. That is, until she remembers her idiot son-in-law who should've been here supporting his wife rather than acting like a pouting 5-year-old.

"If you two know what you're doing, I'm going to go find the Doctor."

When she finds him in the next room over making tea of all things, it's fair to say she's furious.

"Tea? Really? What the hell is wrong with you?" Amy scolds, causing the Doctor to jump.

"Oi, what's wrong with tea? It's brilliant! Soothing, stress-relieving, used on nearly every planet in the universe—"

"Where did you even find a kettle?"

"Like I said, _every planet_—"

"Doctor!" she groans, watching him stir the drink with great care. Making tea when he should be helping his wife? Oh, she is so going to—

The Doctor settles the mug in his hand, before starting toward the door.

"Hang on, did you just make tea without sugar? You always put like seven cubes in there like you want to get on some kind of sugar high."

"Never said it was for me."

She doesn't realize what he means until they're back in the war-room, and the Doctor places the tea in front of his wife, his other hand on her shoulder.

"For you, dear. Just the way you like." He whispers a heartfelt "I'm sorry" and kisses River's cheek.

"Me too." Smiling up at him, River holds his hand, silently thankful.

"Forgiven?"

"Always and completely."

"Right, so what can I do to help?" The Doctor claps his hands together, love filling his eyes as he gazes at his wife.

Amy feels like she's intruding, watching this sweet moment unfold between them.

The Doctor, the man who's always right, the big bad Time Lord, actually putting someone else's ideas before his own and admitting to being wrong? And River Song, former trained assassin, melting at the sincerity of her husband's words?

It's still so odd, seeing the Doctor and River like this. Bickering one moment, apologizing the next, looking like love-sick fools another. That's what married life does to people, she supposes.

But that doesn't mean it's any less strange.

She looks to Rory and can tell he's thinking the same. Nice to know she isn't the only one.

Now, if only her daughter and son-in-law will stop giving each other heart eyes, they might actually be able to save this world before it goes down in flames.

Well, here's hoping, anyway.

* * *

For once, they manage to have a normal, quiet night in together watching telly on the TARDIS. That is, after a terribly eventful day of getting kidnapped by space pirates and singlehandedly rescued by none other than River Song. It's nice to have a daughter who can more than handle herself in a crisis. Because goodness knows the Doctor's not always capable. Especially when he's incarcerated too.

The idea is Rory's of course. Even with their crazy, life-threatening adventures, he thinks there's still room for a bit of normality. And he's not wrong. Amy's just surprised the Doctor actually agreed to it, given his propensity to whine about "boring earth films." River's support for the idea may have something to do with that. When she bats those shimmering green eyes at him, he can't help but indulge her. That and the fact that it's _Indiana Jones_, a film whose protagonist bears certain similarities to a certain time-travelling archaeologist slash adventurer. Fetish much?

Amy leans against Rory's arm, actually enjoying the simplicity of the moment. Well, until the Doctor and River start their usual banter. It's the Doctor's fault, really. She should've known he couldn't keep himself from making his typical commentary on everything even when he'd sworn he wouldn't.

"Ooh, look at his hat, River! It's so cool! I'd look great in a fedora, don't you think?" He questions, wagging a brow at River.

"Don't even think about it." She cautions him, tone icy. "Unless you want to relive what happened last time."

Amy isn't sure if she's talking about the fez, the Stetson, or some other incident altogether, but going by how the Doctor pales, he won't be trying it anytime soon if he knows what's good for him.

"Besides. I'd look much better in a fedora, don't you think, my love?" River bores her eyes into his, snaking into his lap and curling into his shoulder as the Doctor stutters, blushing, unable to argue with her.

Feeling Rory stiffen, Amy squeezes his hand. "Let's just get back to watching the film, eh?" She pleads to her son-in-law and daughter, who snap out of their distracted state, embarrassed.

That's better.

Unfortunately, the quiet doesn't last for very long.

"Hmmm, archaeologist adventurer, good with a gun—sounds a lot like somebody I know." The Doctor muses, running a hand softly through River's curls and pulling her closer to his chest.

"Who's to say they didn't base him off of me?" She says knowingly, with an edge of flirtation.

"Oh, my bad, bad girl." His nose nuzzles River's, and Amy's not sure she want to see what happens next. "You are sort of like a cooler, sexier, female version of Indiana Jones, aren't you, dear?"

"Thank you, Sweetie." She wraps her arm around his neck, pressing a lingering kiss to his lips, which he happily returns, much to Amy's disgust.

Rory coughs loudly, flashing the Doctor the 'I-have-a-sword-and-I-know-how-to-use-it-so-lay-off-my-daughter-while-I'm-in-the-room' glare. Amy loves that look; it's quite hot, actually.

Oh, gosh, she's getting as bad as them.

Thankfully, with Rory's persuasion, the Doctor finally shuts his mouth, content to simply cuddle his wife without all the flirty banter.

They watch the rest of the movie in relative silence, which only happens because Rory gives the Doctor 'the look' every time he tries to open his mouth.

By the end of the film, River is fast asleep in the Doctor's arms, her head nestled in the crook of his neck. He's pressing light kisses to her forehead and smiling down at her like she's the most precious thing in the universe.

Amy's struck by how ordinary, how domestic they look in this moment. For all the Doctor's quibbles about his distaste for "human-y stuff", he seems more relaxed than she's ever seen him, more at ease. That's how River's changed him. He's opened himself up to her in a way he probably hasn't done for anyone in a very long time, if ever. It's almost…touching.

With River, he doesn't have to be the man who saves the day, the man in charge, the man with the weight of the world on his shoulders. He can just simply be himself.

As if knowing she's watching him, the Doctor snaps Amy out of her thoughts.

"She's had a long day. Saving us and all. I better get her to bed. Thanks for suggesting the movie. It was fun. Sorry for getting a little carried away earlier." The Doctor admits, directing his apology straight to Rory. "'Night Ponds."

With that, he stands, scooping River up bridal style, making at effort to be a delicate as possible. River stirs groggily, eyes fluttering at the sudden movement.

"Shhhhh. Shhhh. It's alright, dear. Go back to sleep. You're exhausted." Stroking her hair sweetly, he pulls her closer.

"…Carrying me, Sweetie?" She murmurs, nearly indistinguishable.

"Of course, dear."

"…Like our wedding night?" River hums, tilting her head further into his shoulder.

"Yes, I suppose." The Doctor's face flushes, and he giggles, slowly moving toward the door and out of the room. "Sleep now, honey."

Amy and Rory start to breathe normally as soon as they're gone, as if the tension has all but evaporated.

"Well…that was certainly _interesting_." Amy chooses her words carefully, eyeing her husband.

"Are we ever going to get used to this?" Rory's hands cover his face, and he sighs wearily. "Our daughter and our best friend being married to each other?"

Shaking her head, Amy buries her face into his side, lost in thought.

The last few months since the Doctor came back into their lives have been odd, to say the least. She's witnessed the growth of the Doctor and River's relationship first hand, how they give each other those knowing gazes, how they hold hands on adventures like it's second nature, or how they bicker and argue but somehow it's almost lighthearted, teasing, like the weight of their past regrets and secrets and spoilers has been lifted.

The Doctor and River Song, two of the most feared beings in the entire universe, yet she's caught them in the simplest, most ordinary moments. Like those days where River's worn down or tired, and Amy finds her on the sofa in the library, snuggled under a blanket as the Doctor reads a book aloud, his voice gentle and melodic. Or those times when Amy wakes up to a hot breakfast, wonderfully prepared by the lovesick idiots who can't take their eyes off each other. It's a mixture between sickening and sweet. Sickeningly sweet.

It's really quite odd. She's known her raggedy man since he crashed into her garden, promising her the universe when she was seven years old. And she's probably known her daughter just as long, since that fateful day when the new girl with the brown pigtails showed up to school, punched the school bully in the face, and hailed Amy Pond her new best friend. Sometimes it's hard to believe that River Song, the woman she knew was the Doctor's wife from their first encounter, is Mels Zucker, her childhood friend, and Melody Pond, her baby girl. And that the Doctor, her imaginary friend, her childhood obsession, her momentary crush-object, her best friend, is now her son-in-law.

Yeah, she's never gonna get used to that.

"Nope. Still too weird." Amy acknowledges, trying to come to terms with the oddity of it all.

"Yeah. Way too weird." Rory agrees without hesitating.

"But at the same time…I'm happy for them. As weird or strange as it may be, the Doctor's a good husband. He loves River more than I've ever seen him love anyone. And she loves him just the same. Even though it can be really awkward sometimes, at the end of the day, they're our family. And I'm thankful for that."

"Me too." Rory's arm loops around her waist, and she sinks into him, the fatigue of the day seeping out of her body.

She may have the weirdest, craziest family in existence, but she's okay with that. Every family has its quirks and dysfunctions after all, and hers is no different. But it's comforting to know that even when life is difficult or unbearable or uncertain, she still has the three people who love her most in the world to call her family.

For Amelia Williams, the girl who grew up misunderstood and alone, an orphan in one of her lives and still an outcast in another, this family is the most beautiful gift imaginable. And she wouldn't trade it for the universe.

* * *

**Note:Have a wonderful day:)**


End file.
